No Choice
by bgeesfan
Summary: Sam and Dean learn that sometimes in life there isn't a choice. Major spoilers for 13.21


Dean walked away from the cave like a zombie he and his brother would ordinarily hunt. Torturously his brain kept replaying Sam's words to him, "if we die, we do that together, too" coupled with Sam's last word, "Dean!"

Cas tried to talk to Dean but Dean just gave him a withering look and Cas paused to walk with Gabriel. Gabriel looked at him sympathetically but didn't say anything. As they got closer to the camp, Dean's heart grew heavier and heavier, thinking about having to tell his mother about Sam.

When they arrived, Mary couldn't quite believe her eyes when she saw her son walking toward her. She was so stunned she didn't notice the expression on Dean's face or his grief-stricken eyes. "Dean?" she gasped. "How did you get here?"

"We kidnapped Lucifer and we're draining his grace to keep the rift open," Dean replied. His mother nodded as if this was an everyday occurrence.

"Where's Sam? Didn't he come with you?"

At his brother's name, Dean froze and looked at his mother. His eyes filled and a lone tear streaked down his face. "Dean?" his mother asked, concerned. "What is it?"

"Sam…Sam…" Dean stopped and shuddered. "Sammy…we…we got attacked by vampires in the cave on our way here. He…he didn't make it. There was nothing we could do."

His mother hugged Dean tightly and felt his tears wetting her shirt. She held him as he shuddered with grief and his friends looked on somberly. At last, Dean calmed down a bit and said softly, "I'm sorry. I couldn't stop them. I couldn't do anything."

"I'm sure you did everything you could," his mother replied sadly.

Dean glared at Cas and Gabriel who had the grace to look down. "Now that we've found you, I'm going back. I have to get his body."

Cas stared at Dean and started toward him. "You can't. It's a suicide mission and you know it!"

Dean's glare stopped Cas in his tracks. "You didn't have the grace to save him and you wouldn't even let me try to get to him," Dean said quietly, his voice full of rage. "I stood there watching two vamps drag him away hearing him scream and there wasn't a damn thing I could do. I am not leaving him here. I'm going back for him. If none of you want to come, fine. I'll go by myself. I don't care."

"Dean," his mother started, "think about this for a second. What would Sam want you to do? Wouldn't he want you to go on fighting?"

Dean gave his mother the same withering look he'd given Cas on their way to the camp. "Do you know how many times I've had to watch my kid brother die?" he asked her angrily. "Twice. Two times I watched him die and couldn't save him. I raised him, Mom. Me. After you died, Dad was too busy hunting to bother so I did it. Sammy is my kid. Just before we came here he said to me that we were going to come here together and if something happened, we'd handle that together and if we died, we'd do that together, too. Don't ask me to live without him again, Mom. I won't do it."

Dean's eyes filled with tears again and he turned and walked away from the others, angrily swiping at his face. Cas started to follow but Gabriel grabbed his arm. "Don't, Cas. Let him go."

Just then alarms began going off all around them. Dean stopped and turned toward the sound as the others stood. Mary immediately grabbed her gun and raised it protectively. Dean hurried to her side, his pistol raised. Footsteps could be heard crunching toward them and Dean silently removed the safety and readied himself to fire. A second later, a pair of brown hiking boots appeared and Dean lowered his gun in disbelief. His eyes traveled upward taking in the long legs, broad chest, blood-soaked shirt, bloody neck, and finally to the face he knew so well. "Sammy?" he gasped.

Sam looked at Dean, his eyes filled with tears. "Hey, Dean," Sam replied a sad smile on his face. Dean dropped his gun as he ran to his brother. He threw his arms around Sam and was relieved beyond words to feel Sam's arms wrap around him. His usual "no chick flick moments" rule was set aside as he held onto his brother as if he never wanted to let him go.

At last Dean did let go and pulled back slightly to look at Sam carefully. "Sammy, what happened? Cas said you were…" he stopped, unable to say the word.

Sam's sad smile returned but before he could answer a new voice said, "I happened, Dean-o." Sam looked down ashamed and Dean immediately pushed Sam behind him wishing like hell he hadn't dropped his gun.

"Lucifer," Dean growled. "How in the hell did you get here?"

"Well…unfortunately, Ginger got me a bit mad and I got strong enough to break the handcuffs. We tussled and then she kind of threw me into the rift. And here I am."

Dean looked at Sam and said, "I don't understand. What do you have to do with Sam?"

Lucifer sighed and said, "no wonder everyone says Sam's the smart one. While Cas and Gabriel don't have the strength or the grace to heal at the moment, I do. So, Sammy and I made a deal."

Sam glared at Lucifer and said, "it's Sam."

Dean looked at Sam. "What kind of deal?" he asked warily looking at Sam. Sam looked down, unable to meet Dean's eyes. "Sam? What kind of deal?"

Sam looked at Dean briefly before he looked back down again and said, "he'd keep the vampires at bay and me alive if I brought him to Jack. I'm sorry, Dean. I didn't think I had a choice."

Dean looked at Lucifer and said, "just what do you want with Jack?"

"I want what every father wants. To know my son. Besides, you need me."

Mary looked at her sons then at Lucifer and asked, "for what?"

"To defeat Michael, of course. You don't really think that the two impotent angels can do anything, do you? You need me to defeat Michael and to get back to the other side and I want to know my son. We can help each other, or, I could snap my fingers and poor little Sammy could go back to being dead. It's entirely up to you," he said. All the color drained from Dean's face and he unconsciously clutched Sam's sleeve tightly.

Mary looked at her sons then at the rest of them and said quietly, "I don't see that we have a choice."

"That's what I was hoping to hear," Lucifer replied. He walked toward Jack who looked at him warily before allowing Lucifer to lead him a bit away from the others.

Mary looked at her sons and smiled. "I'm glad you're okay, Sam," she said softly. She put her hand on his cheek before leaving them alone.

Sam looked at Dean and said quietly, "I'm so sorry, Dean."

Dean looked at Sam and said, "I'm not."

Sam looked at Dean startled. That was the last thing he expected Dean to say. "What?"

Dean looked at Sam and said quietly, "Sammy, you're alive. That's all that matters. We'll deal with Lucifer once we get back to our world." Dean wrapped his arms around Sam again and held him tightly and felt Sam's arms come around him.

"Jerk," Sam said with a smile hugging Dean tighter.

"Bitch," Dean replied with an answering squeeze.


End file.
